"One day there is life . . . and then, suddenly, it happens there is death". So begins The Invention of Solitude, Paul Auster's moving and personal meditation on fatherhood. After the death of his own father, Auster discovers a 60-year-old family murder mystery that could account for the old man's elusive character. Later the book shifts from Auster's identity as son to his own role as father."

Faber and Faber

"Integrates heart and intellect, sensation and speculation...as it relentlessly tries to make sense of the
shocks of living"